Trilateral Heads of Office Meeting Was Held

March 5, 2018

On March 2, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Patent Office (EPO), and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) held the 36th Trilateral Heads of Office Meeting in Hakone-machi, Kanagawa. In the meeting, the participants discussed patent law harmonization, trilateral comparative studies on computer software related inventions, quality improvement in the PCT, and approaches to standard essential patents.

In connection with the meeting, Trilateral user groups from the USA, the EU, and Japan were invited to the Trilateral Heads of Office and Users' Meeting on March 1 in order to discuss patent law harmonization, trilateral comparative studies on computer software related inventions, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Furthermore, taking this opportunity, the JPO had separate meetings with the EPO and BusinessEurope. In the meeting with the EPO, the application of AI to patent office practices, quality improvement in the PCT, and the judgement on standard essentiality were discussed. In the meeting with BusinessEurope, approaches to standard essential patents and protection of computer related inventions were discussed.

Photo at the Trilateral Heads of Office Meeting
(From left to right; Mr. Battistelli, President of the EPO, Ms. Munakata, Commissioner of the JPO, and Mr. Iancu, Director of the USPTO)